The life of a college student may seem like a breeze to some people. You go to school, do your homework and you work as hard as you can until you’re able to walk across the stage and receive that long anticipated diploma. Sounds easy, but trust me…it’s not. 

I along with many other full-time students here also have a job in order to support myself while at college. Many are fortunate enough to receive financial support from family while attending school and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, others must rely on one or multiple jobs while going through college. Because of this, a significant amount of pressure could be added to students. 

When you factor in jobs and classes, you have to add in homework and extracurriculars. As a media communications major, the project grind never stops and you must live and die by the deadlines. Much credit is due to all of the other majors on campus as they all have their own challenges and requirements. 

Though I only have a part-time job, many students have full-time jobs. With a minimum 12 hour class week and 40 hour work week, it can be easy to fall behind or be overwhelmed with class work. Working on campus is a perk but speaking from experience, it can still be difficult to balance and not  everyone is able to have an on-campus job. 

Many students must schedule classes to fit in coordination with their work schedule and there are several students that must zoom to work everyday immediately after class. A number of students also work late hours then still have to worry about homework after. Though sleep is also nice, almost every college student has had to analyze their options and tell themselves that “sleep is for the weak.” 

Oftentimes if students rely heavily on their jobs to support themselves, they will obviously give more time to their job rather than things on campus. With the long work and school hours, some students seem to lack the time and motivation to participate in extracurricular activities like organizations and intramural sports. Of course, participating in these types of things isn’t a requirement or necessity but it does add more to one’s college experience.

Students at West Texas A&M University come from a number of different backgrounds. Some may be a first generation freshman from a few hours away with the slightest idea of how college works. Others could be single parents working hard and doing all they can to get their education and take care of their family. 

Rather than complaining about how hard juggling everything is, I would like to simply acknowledge that college isn’t always the easiest thing in the world. Especially for full-time students with jobs. Much credit should be given to the large number of Buffs here on campus that work hard to provide for themselves, their families, and still find the motivation and energy to care about their education and reach their goals.